Single Mom Goes From a $32 Bank Balance to an International Hair Care Brand With 3,000 Orders Every Month

Gwen Jimmere is named one of the 100 Influential African Americans in the U.S.

30 days before her divorce was finalized, Gwen Jimmere was laid off from her job.

Jimmere, of Detroit, Michigan, was the breadwinner in the marriage. As it a result, this meant she was forced to pay the bulk of the attorney fees. After everything was said and done, the single mother was left with only $32 in her bank account.

However, Jimmere looked at the positive and began to see the situation as a new beginning of sorts. She created Naturalicious, a world-wide natural hair care brand. The company is currently shipping over 3,000 per month!

Naturalicious began in Jimmere’s basement. She bottled, packaged, and shipped every order herself. At the time, she was making just enough to pay her bills, but her luck soon turned around. She approached a Whole Foods store and the buyers were willing to take a chance on her operation.

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“I knew that if I could get Whole Foods to say yes, that would validate my brand in the eyes of the consumer,” she said.

Now, her products can be found in over 2,500 retail stores around the world. Jimmere is the first black woman to ever hold a patent for a natural hair care product.

She remarked, “My products are the only sulfate, paraben, mineral oil, petroleum, gluten, and cruelty-free line of products that actually smash your hair care routine into smithereens!”

Jimmere currently travels across the country, gives keynotes and speeches on entrepreneurship, business, and life.

Jimmere is the winner of the Black Enterprise Elevator Pitch Competition and has been featured in major publications such as The Washington Post, Essence, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, TV One, and Fox News. Additionally, she was named one of the 100 Influential African Americans in the U.S.